Category Archives: Podcasts

Alex Foster

Open Thread: your views on Liverpool

By Alex Foster | Mon 10th March 2008 - 11:29 am

Conference Committee is very keen to hear from delegates what they thought about Liverpool as a conference venue. How was the arena? Were your hotels OK? How would you feel about holding an autumn conference there?

My view is that it’s pretty good already and will all be a lot better when the hotels onsite are completed, and the long walk is reduced. I’d definitely be happy to go back to Liverpool for an autumn conference.

The podcast has views from some conference goers – some of them slightly biassed in favour of Liverpool.

But the thread is open …

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Alex Foster

CGB Blog awards – full coverage

By Alex Foster | Sun 9th March 2008 - 9:14 pm

After a lengthy pause for a train journey home, a chance to edit the tapes very slightly, and the time taken to upload the file, Lib Dem Voice is very pleased to present a full recording of the proceedings on Saturday evening – including as an added bonus, a quick webinar from Lib Dem blogging expert Mary Reid.

Congratulations to winners Lynne Featherstone, Alix Mortimer, Jo Christie Smith and Betsan Powys.

A full list of all websites mentioned in the report will follow below very shortly is below

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Alex Foster

Glee Club podcast

By Alex Foster | Sun 9th March 2008 - 3:56 pm

Many thanks to the A Capella Glee Club, the handful of conference delegates who hadn’t had enough singing at the actual Glee Club by 1am and continued for a further two hours into the early hours of the morning, long after the staff had cleared away the chairs and shooed us out.   I always feel it’s not really Glee Club unless you’ve actually injured your vocal folds.

Here is the A Capella Glee Club (all 5ish of us) performing Glee Club classic “Losing Deposits”

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Alex Foster

Alan Beith’s longevity

By Alex Foster | Sat 8th March 2008 - 6:25 pm

Hooray! Someone has phoned the Podcast Hotline 020 7617 7221.

Alright, so it’s a blatant plug for an event later in the year, but I have no objection to testing the technology this way.

EDIT: the event is now on FlockTogether.

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Alex Foster

Podcast: interview with Colin Eldridge

By Alex Foster | Wed 5th March 2008 - 9:05 am

LibDemVoice kicks off our conference coverage with an interview with Colin Eldridge, Liverpool councillor and PPC for Liverpool Wavertree.

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Alex Foster

Featherstone “fighting the war on women”

By Alex Foster | Sat 19th January 2008 - 6:10 pm

Last week, Lynne Featherstone launched a new battle against the establishment when she wrote to the equality watchdog following the birth of Viscount Severn, son of the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

As LibDemVoice’s army of monarchists will be well aware, when the Hon James Windsor was born, he knocked his elder sister Lady Louise back to 9th in line to the throne, just as a generation before, his uncle Prince Andrew took his elder sister Princess Anne’s place in the line of succession.

This change in the line of succession is the first to happen since the Equalities Commission …

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Alex Foster

Clegg on Prime Minister’s Questions

By Alex Foster | Sun 13th January 2008 - 8:01 am

The Guardian interviewed Nick Clegg down a dodgy quality digital line for one of their regular podcasts.  An excerpt appeared at in Thursday’s “Newsdesk” broadcast and the full interview is also available separately here.

Clegg makes clear he wants to use PMQs to test the PM on the issues that matter to real families and confesses that Vince Cable was a hard act to follow.

Also posted in PMQs | 1 Comment
Alex Foster

What do to the local party chairs think?

By Alex Foster | Mon 17th September 2007 - 9:53 pm

Ming Campbell very kindly invited me and all the other local party chairs to a reception this evening, plied us with booze and nibbles, and gave us an opportunity to mingle and share best practice. Whilst many of us were at conference anyway, some chairs chose to come down specially for the reception.

The news of the WATO phonecalls was one of the hot topics. BBC Radio 4’s World At One had researchers phoning around many local party people like chairs to ask what they thought of the leader. They got Stephen Tall by email in …

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Voice Podcast: Climate change march

By the founding editor | Sun 5th November 2006 - 7:27 pm

Green Tax SwitchThe latest Lib Dem Voice Podcast is an account of the Grosvenor Square to Trafalgar Square march, including a group interview with Chris Huhne, Simon Hughes, Ed Davey and Jo Swinson.

If you want to skip my guff, and jump straight to the interview it’s at 4:51 in.

This is my first serious attempt at Podcasting – so please be vicious in your criticism, and tell me bluntly what’s hot and what’s not!

You can find out more about the Lib Dem Green Tax Switch at www.greentaxswitch.com

Subscribe to Podcasts …

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Alex Foster

Voice Podcasts: Alex speaks to Nick Clegg, and making conference accessible

By Alex Foster | Fri 22nd September 2006 - 1:15 pm

In our final two Podcasts, Alex Foster speaks to Nick Clegg, Liberal Democrat shadow Home Affairs spokesperson about his week in Brighton, and to Jeremy Hargreaves of the Federal Conference Committee, to hear about moves to make conference more accessible to the disabled.

It’s worth drawing out here the efforts the conference committee is going to to improve facilities for the disabled. Highlights include:

  • All fringe venues wheelchair accessible
  • One (adjustable) lectern for all speakers
  • Sign language interpretation for 100% of debates and speeches
  • A new fund to enable wheelchair users to attend conference

Finally, you can see highlights of each day’s debates on BBC Parliament: …

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Alex Foster

EXCLUSIVE: Leader interview

By Alex Foster | Thu 21st September 2006 - 10:30 am

Alex Foster gets the interview he’s been angling after all week. Well, nearly.

A little bird tells libdemvoice.org that net guru Tim Ireland is making a viral marketing campaign for the Lib Dems. It’s a short piece to attack the Tories and it should be crossing your web-browser in the next few days. Can hardly wait.

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Alex Foster

Voice Podcast: Rally Reaction

By Alex Foster | Wed 20th September 2006 - 9:59 pm

Alex speaks to two well-placed councillors on green issues and the challenges the party faces. Carol O’Gorman, leader of North Wilts District Council and Steve Comer, the Deputy Leader of Bristol City.

Why is it that every council has a “Council Government and Democracy” page?

Also posted in News | 5 Comments
Alex Foster

Somerset County Council leading the way

By Alex Foster | Wed 20th September 2006 - 7:43 pm

Paul Buchanan, our deputy leader on Somerset County Council was very keen to talk of his council’s achievements in getting a green fleet up and running fuelled by grain grown within the County.

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Alex Foster

Chris Davies and Lembit Opik reveal their wardrobe secrets to Alex Foster

By Alex Foster | Wed 20th September 2006 - 6:50 pm

This podcast is an example of the snowball approach to gaining support.  Alex pursuaded Chris Davies to speak into his recorder, and only moments later when the MEP’s phone rang, he snared Lembit Opik to continue with the interview.

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Alex Foster

Alex and the Blogging Queen

By Alex Foster | Wed 20th September 2006 - 5:26 pm

Alex Foster took the opportunity of eight minutes alone in a quiet corridor with Iain Dale to check his linguistic skills – and received an interesting proposition.

Also posted in News | Tagged | 2 Comments
The Voice

Voice Podcast: Being lobbied

By The Voice | Wed 20th September 2006 - 2:40 am

Many organisations are accosting Lib Dem activists on their way in to and out of the conference centre, pushing their message through a succession of outrageously dull or outrageously witty leaflets.

Alex has been out meeting the leafletters… he came back looking distinctly windswept!

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The Voice

Voice Podcast: John Hemming MP

By The Voice | Tue 19th September 2006 - 6:37 pm

Alex Foster has interviewed John Hemming MP for Lib Dem Voice

John Hemming is one of the few blogging Lib Dem MPs, and you can find his blog at http://johnhemming.blogspot.com/

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Who interviews the interviewer?

By the founding editor | Tue 19th September 2006 - 5:56 pm

Alex Foster, that’s who!

Catch Alex’s Podcast with Nick Robinson, recorded only minutes after Kennedy’s speech, below.

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The Ambassador will see you now (includes a Kennedy Voice Podcast)

By the founding editor | Tue 19th September 2006 - 5:26 pm

Charles Kennedy got a standing ovation at the start of his speech, and another at the end. But he was denied the special treat Lib Dem activists bestow upon their leader – a round of applause every 15 seconds. Still, the reception was warm, affectionate even.

He reminded us of his success – 1 million new Lib Dem voters between 2001 and 2005. He urged us to uphold the principles of social liberalism, and to limit the role of markets in our public service policies. He called for the House of Lords to be renamed and elected using Proportional Representation. He called for a Welsh Parliament, and north of the border he urged us to help the next First Minister of Scotland be a Liberal Democrat First Minister. He ended by pleading with us to be the party of Europe.

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The Voice

Voice Podcast: Alex and the exhibitors

By The Voice | Mon 18th September 2006 - 6:42 pm

Alex has been touring the exhibition stands.

Alex meets DELGA (LGBT organisation), the Local Government Assocation, the Parliamentary Candidates Association, the Lib Dem Christian Forum, EARS (election software), Alter (Land Taxation and Economic Reform), LDDA (disabilities), and Lib Dem Image (perveyors of all sorts of Lib Dem branded goodies).

The exhibition is great this year – more stands than ever before I believe, and lots to see, do, and take home for free…

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The Voice

Voice Podcast: Alex meets the Liberal Democrat Youth and Students

By The Voice | Mon 18th September 2006 - 3:00 pm

Alex: “Are those LDYS condoms?”

LDYS: “They weren’t my idea”

Alex: “So. Describe those to me”

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The Voice

Voice Podcast: Alex and some virgins

By The Voice | Mon 18th September 2006 - 12:00 pm

Alex attended the reception for first-time conference attendees, the so-called “conference virgins”. His latest Podcast is a vox-pop-orama.

This Podcast just goes to show that Lib Dem members come from all backgrounds, viewpoints (so long as they’re against the 50p amendment in the tax debate).

In this post you’ll hear Alex ask the ultimate Lib Dem geek question – “what number does your membership number start with?” (you can tell from someone’s membership number how long they’ve been a member).

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Voice Podcast: Conference diary, day 3

By the founding editor | Mon 18th September 2006 - 10:10 am

*blink* *blink* what day is it?

Here’s today’s morning Podcast looking back at yesterday, and ahead to today.

You can find the Channel 4 Morning Report Podcast, which is mentioned towards the end,  here.

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The Voice

Voice Godcast: Alex and the Salvation Army

By The Voice | Mon 18th September 2006 - 6:00 am

We’re still running a day behind with Alex’s Podcasts – he’s churning them out faster than I can post them up.

Conference isn’t all about policy debates and procedural motions. In this Podcast Alex Foster encounters a gaggle of Liberal Democrats surrounding the poor Salvation Army.

It’s starting to annoy me that Alex is having forty times more fun at conference than I am.

Speaking of gaggles of Liberal Democrats surrounding you – when I arrived on Saturday I discovered a wedding and wedding reception taking place at the conference hotel. Can you imagine what it must be like to book your special …

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Voice Podcast: the green green grass of Green Lib Dems

By the founding editor | Sun 17th September 2006 - 3:15 pm

Alex recorded this Podcast yesterday, on the train on the way to Brighton.

Alex Foster and Chris Le Breton discuss the green agenda, and how our party’s already green credentials can be given a boost.

The challenge of the Greens has been on the minds of campaigners at conference this year – in too many council and Parliamentary seats, the Greens have taken just enough votes away from the Lib Dems to deprive us of a win. There is a debate going on about how we can better underline our own green credentials to prevent that happening.

If …

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The Voice

Voice Podcast: Alex’s top tips for first timers

By The Voice | Sun 17th September 2006 - 1:00 pm

Alex‘s Podcast, recorded yesterday, uploaded today (sorry, getting ahold of wi-fi Internet access before the conference centre opens is a bit tough).

Enjoy this one, because pretty soon we get to the Podcast where Alex has gone out and recorded the Salvation Army.

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Voice Podcast: Conference diary day 2

By the founding editor | Sun 17th September 2006 - 11:15 am

Given how late I went to sleep, I can’t quite believe I’m

a) awake

b) have recorded a Podcast

c) Have walked somewhere with wi-fi to upload it

d) awake

e) apparently sober

Here is the first of today’s Podcasts, from me (looking back at yesterday and ahead to today), with a few more, from Alex, to follow later today.

One quick piece of good news – Ming has said what everyone at conference has been thinking, and saying. There is no-one I’ve met here who thinks the tax vote is in any way the be all and end all of Ming.

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The Voice

Voice Podcast: Packing for conference? Don’t forget your sense of humour

By The Voice | Fri 15th September 2006 - 8:24 pm

Paul Trollope has been slaving over a hot Risograph to deliver some fliers for Lib Dem Voice – no glossy corporate stuff here – if you’d be willing to give half an hour to stand outside the conference centre and push them in to the willing hands of delegates in the last couple of days, please do contact me.

Also, I think the thread on the 50p tax rate and the Meeting the Challenge post have both been helpful ‘warm runs’ of the debate that will occur in Brighton. If the web site has informed your thinking, …

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